Negative Impacts of Tourism in the Caribbean

1
Negative Impacts of Tourism in the Caribbean

• Economic Impacts
• Cultural Impacts

2
Economic Pitfalls

• Tourists demand for local products drive up the
  prices of goods making them more expensive for
  local people to afford

3
Economic Pitfalls

• Seasonal nature of tourism creates boom-bust
  cycles
• Seasonal breaks during off-season means workers
  laid off temporarily
• Reverse of multiplier effect
• Production is cut, jobs are lost

4
Economic Pitfalls

• Non-diversified economies are particularly
  susceptible to factors affecting tourism
• Rises in travel costs, fuel costs, economic
  recessions, infrastructure damage as a result of
  hurricane activity

5
Strategies to Control Negative Effects of Tourism

• Develop tourism slowly and gradually
• Limit tourist development to preserve the
  physical and cultural environments
• Support non-tourist jobs in the economy
• Create tourism-development zones (areas where
  tourism development will be allowed) and apply
  strict controls
• Develop building design codes for new tourism
  facilities

6
Strategies to Control Negative Effects of Tourism

• Give residents equal access to all tourist
  facilities and amenities
• Provide loans for local ownership of tourist
  facilities
• Develop strong links between tourism businesses
  and local suppliers
• Plan tourism to avoid overcrowding at facilities
  that residents use
• Provide professional tourism training for local
  people

7
Cultural Inundation

• If tourism is not carefully planned to balance
  with local lifestyles, aspects of the tourists
  cultures may change or replace local culture
• Demonstration Effect the impact of tourists
  values and customs on local peoples
• Demonstration effect may affect religious
  beliefs, dress, music, eating habits, or
  commercial practices

8
Cultural Inundation

• Cultural Impacts experienced as a result of
  tourism in the Caribbean
• Large-scale tourist developments changed rural
  living patterns
• Seasonal work patterns were created
• Traditional skills of some workers were lost
• Local art, music, and clothing were
  commercialized to cater to tourists
• Local properties and areas of natural beauty were
  commercialized
• Crime levels increased